[IanBland]

The problem with ditching the components is you're then left wondering what Maplin are for at all. If they're just selling complete consumer items, they're now Currys, and Currys are better at that anyway. It's like a bespoke walking stick shop that start selling mobile phones because they're more popular. Then they end up wondering why they still stock walking sticks, a bean counter ditches the walking sticks, and now they're a mobile phone shop.

Electronics went through a doldrums after the 80s when it got to the point (I remember discussing this over a pint with BroadGage) there was no point building anything for yourself. We tried to think of something you should build and the best we could come up with was a specialised power supply.

But there's been a renaissance with the advent of all these little single board computers and microcontrollers and so on. Also, the ubiquity of ultrabright LEDs, strangely enough, which seem to be an endless source of new hobbyist applications, most of which involve turning LEDs on and off. I sometimes suspect that our society may collapse into a dark age and the only practical skill anyone will have is turning LEDs on and off. But I digress.

The resistors, caps, LEDs, transistors, perf board, LEDs, hookup wire, glue logic and LEDs are essential purchases for all that, and I do think Maplin could actually make a living selling them alongside the controllers and boxes and stuff if they weren't so badly stocked, which actively dissuades one from visiting if their stock of 1 potentiometer of the correct value means you need to order anyway. As I said above, the wait for delivery "next day" can be several days from Farnell or RS, and ebay is mostly longer still. Once Maplin have to order ("what, you want three?!") it's no better.

Also my earlier point about some things being difficult to order without physical examination, like the right sized box, or switches, or indicators. I had a heck of a job recently trying to confirm a power connector was going to fit in the little plastic box for the power supply circuit I was building (which by the by contains a beautiful teeny toroidal from RS. Which I had delivered to work and which even my female colleagues thought was cute).

If I were them I'd offer a rapid turnaround PCB fab service as well. And maybe tutorial type presentations in the shop space to attract youngsters in. And bespoke walking sticks.

And a decent website for God's sake.